title: Clinical supervision among family physicians: prevalence, needs, and attitudes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clinical supervision (CS) is not an established support system among physicians. Family physicians (FPs) have used Balint groups as a form of clinical supervision. In all, not much is known about the prevalence of physicians' attendance to or needs for CS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We studied what proportion of FPs compared with other physicians have attended or report they would need CS and whether having patients who request certain tests or medicines is associated with FPs' attendance to or need for CS.
  
  
  METHODS
  A postal survey for all working-aged Finnish physicians was performed in 2008. Special questions concerning CS (eg, Balint) and patients' requests were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Response rate for the survey was 74% (N = 13 708). Special questions were responded by 10 559 physicians of whom 1252 were FPs. FPs had attended CS more often than other physicians (42% vs 29%, P < .001). Of FPs, 25% reported a need for CS with no availability of it. FPs experienced with or needing for CS were more often than other FPs females, had participated in continuing medical education, and reported that patients with requests have increased in recent years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both experience of CS and a need for CS with no availability are common among Finnish FPs. Experiences of patients with requests may reflect a need for CS among FPs. Studies on the content, significance and effectiveness CS among FPs are needed.
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Martina A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Torppa
authors.forename: Kristiina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toivola
authors.forename: Juho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruskoaho
authors.forename: Kaisu H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Pitkälä
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003625:Data Collection; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological
keywords: Balint groups; clinical supervision; family medicine; patients’ requests; primary health care